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Happy
Clear, strong lines and radiant colors that seem to smile at the reader characterize Mies van Hout’s drawings. In Happy, Mies shows all the emotions a young child encounters. Each double page spread is devoted to one fish, showing a particular emotion with its name in lettering that expresses the same feeling. Swim into Happy where the dazzling fish sparkle against the dark background and let the images spark laughter and empathy.
52 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
5 people are currently reading
425 people want to read
About the author
Mies van Hout
53 books15 followersI grew up in a village in the south of Holland called Hapert. My father allways told us stories. When he was telling we were all sitting around him. I also liked reading, but most of the time I was drawing.
When I was very young I knew that I wanted to become a drawer. And I didn't know what to do otherwise.
http://www.miesvanhout.nl/engelsoverm...
When I was very young I knew that I wanted to become a drawer. And I didn't know what to do otherwise.
http://www.miesvanhout.nl/engelsoverm...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 147 reviews
June 30, 2024
Pictures of brightly colored fish express different emotions...I loved the art! Every once in awhile I like to read a book that will help be get ready for the next book challenge I will have; so many of the books I read get into concepts that really require you to challenge your way of thinking. It is nice to be able to come back to a book like this, helps keep the inner child from getting lost.
November 9, 2015
That is talent!! I love it. The words were not always easy for me to read, but everything had a child-like flare while doing so well in simply illustrating emotions. Using fish! Brilliant. So glad a patron pointed this out to me. This could be made into an activity for young 'uns--whether at home or in a small ST group.
5/1/13 & 5/2/13: I thought I'd try this in the "Time for School" theme. Kids need to learn what emotions are. I brought down my definition to "feelings." At the beginning, you could tell the adults were skeptical about how this would go, and the kids got my examples of "happy and Sad" but you could see they weren't sure how this would go. By the 2nd emotion, every one of them was hooked. I had the kids make these faces with me. I would explain some of the lesser-known-to-them emotions. And they LOVED it! They totally got it in the illustrations and they had so much fun trying to make the faces themselves.
With more time to think, I could have come up with more (and better than what I came up with on the fly) examples of when they might feel the emotions. Maybe next time. But this time was still fabulous!
9/30/15 Used as literacy moment in Art Time! theme. I had the kids come up and tell me what letter the emotion started with, and then we used our fishing pole and fished for the letter. I had them make the emotions with me as we went along, so when we were through with kids, we just kept going with the book and the emotions. I think I did pretty well in giving examples of the emotions. And the kids (and adults) were right there with me--totally getting it all. A great success.
5/1/13 & 5/2/13: I thought I'd try this in the "Time for School" theme. Kids need to learn what emotions are. I brought down my definition to "feelings." At the beginning, you could tell the adults were skeptical about how this would go, and the kids got my examples of "happy and Sad" but you could see they weren't sure how this would go. By the 2nd emotion, every one of them was hooked. I had the kids make these faces with me. I would explain some of the lesser-known-to-them emotions. And they LOVED it! They totally got it in the illustrations and they had so much fun trying to make the faces themselves.
With more time to think, I could have come up with more (and better than what I came up with on the fly) examples of when they might feel the emotions. Maybe next time. But this time was still fabulous!
9/30/15 Used as literacy moment in Art Time! theme. I had the kids come up and tell me what letter the emotion started with, and then we used our fishing pole and fished for the letter. I had them make the emotions with me as we went along, so when we were through with kids, we just kept going with the book and the emotions. I think I did pretty well in giving examples of the emotions. And the kids (and adults) were right there with me--totally getting it all. A great success.
July 11, 2013
So cute!!! Expressive fish demonstrate a wide range of emotions, from HAPPY to ANGRY, from BORED to DELIGHTED.
Here's CURIOUS:
The crayon drawings of the fish have huge kid appeal (and adult appeal, too).
This would be great to use in a storytime, or as writing prompts, or to spark art projects with kids.
Delightful!
Here's CURIOUS:
The crayon drawings of the fish have huge kid appeal (and adult appeal, too).
This would be great to use in a storytime, or as writing prompts, or to spark art projects with kids.
Delightful!
October 19, 2012
Happy is a beautiful picture book about emotions! Mies Van Hout has artistically rendered fish displaying different emotions using pastel illustrations. On one page, there is an emotion word, and on the other page, there is a fish expressing that emotion. Both the fish and the word attempt to convey this emotion. Color, technique, texture, and design all contribute in subtle or bold ways as well. The “Curious” fish, for example, is bright and yellow and gazes at something off the page, while the word is scrawled in different colors using water, scratched away, and layered. The “Sad” fish is rendered in dark blue tones with drooping eyes and a downturned mouth, while the word is smudged with downward strokes. The “Proud” fish has a bright green eye and a bright pink body with a red glow that radiates from the inside, while the word is depicted with a vibrant pink background and tall, straight letters.
I loved this book because it is simple, yet complex. This book is a great example about how art can be a way to express oneself with and without words. The drawings are child-like in their simplicity and you could even ask “what could have made the fish feel this way?” This book could not only encourage creative story-telling, but also art projects!
I loved this book because it is simple, yet complex. This book is a great example about how art can be a way to express oneself with and without words. The drawings are child-like in their simplicity and you could even ask “what could have made the fish feel this way?” This book could not only encourage creative story-telling, but also art projects!
November 19, 2016
Irresistible. No plot, just a list. Not clear enough, I imagine, to help people on the Asperger's/ Autism spectrum much. Not every emotion is absolutely perfectly distinct. But gosh, I can't mark it down for stretch quibbles like those. It's absolutely delightful. I see it used in classrooms for art, story prompt, talk about feelings, etc... but I think I like it best for vocabulary. I'd tell the students: Write whatever story you want, but use juicy words like Astonished and Shocked!
January 23, 2016
Een prachtig boek van Mies van Hout waarin heel veel emoties langszwemmen. De vissen zijn echt heel mooi getekend en beelden heel goed de emotie uitdrukken. Ook een aanrader voor in de klas bij de kleuters. (1e boek voor boekenbingo 2016)
January 4, 2023
shy
Alright... I loved this. The art is so pretty and the fishes capture the emotions they are representing really well. There isn't really much more to tell, it's really short and there isn't much words. But you know, that's the charm...
July 5, 2022
4 sterren- Nederlandse kartonnen boekje
July 30, 2022
Bellissimo libro che illustra le emozioni e gli stati d'animo con disegni di pesci realizzati a pastello, in colori vibranti e magici.
Recensione sintetica: sì!
Recensione sintetica: sì!
August 1, 2012
Just when you think all the ideas in the world that mattered have already been, there comes a simple and profound book like this that lends itself truly to much happiness, delight, surprise, astonishment, and more! I would so love to use this book in a storytime - just-fer-the-heck-of-it; and also what a lovely book to share with children about feelings....and mindfulness...and recognising that feelings come and go....hmm...a very useful tool for Buddhists big and small!
November 6, 2014
I really like this book. My daughter was able to identify the right emotion to the fishes facial expression.
March 30, 2023
j'aime bien les dessins
July 13, 2023
This one was a visual treat! I would have totally used it for SEL if I were still teaching Kindergarten.
January 20, 2025
I read the french version of this book. A wonderful book depciting the emotions of the fishes complementing it with the drawings. Wonderfully illustrated book.
December 31, 2018
Mooi vormgegeven prentenboek en goed inzetbaar in het onderwijs. Kijk voor mijn volledige review op: https://jufbeau.com/2018/04/13/vrolijk/
July 11, 2017
Happy, by Mies van Hout, is a great book to build vocabulary about feelings. Colorful chalk drawings of emotional fish against a black background set the stage for discussion about words like jealous, nervous, content and confused. Giggles will erupt when children see the shocked and nervous fish. Kids will love an extension activity creating drawings of their own to portray feelings. For ages 3 - 10.
August 14, 2017
Colorful illustrations of fish and an accompanying emotion - glad, angry, astonished, curious, etc. No story, just a word on one page and fish on the other page. Simple, colorful book for little ones.
June 20, 2012
Richie’s Picks: HAPPY by Mies van Hout, Lemniscaat USA, April 2012, 44p., ISBN: 978-1-9359-5414-9
“How does it feel?
How does it feel?
-- Bob Dylan, “Like a Rolling Stone”
It was such a beautiful morning, and I was SURE that I would be BORED sitting in the auto repair shop waiting room for a couple of hours while the car was being serviced. So I headed off on a hike around the area (which is a new area for me).
When, a couple of miles down the road, I stumbled upon the Midland Park Memorial Library, I walked in. I am always CURIOUS to see public library children’s rooms, so I aimed my high tops down the stairs to the lower level. And I am so GLAD that I did. For, on display, I found an absolutely great new picture book about emotions.
On the cover of HAPPY is a happy fish against a black background…a really happy fish from the looks of him (or her). And the letters of the title are drawn and colored so as to also exude a sense of happiness.
Inside the book are 20 two-page spreads. On one side of each spread is a fish, against a black background, that is clearly depicting an emotion. On the other side is the word for the emotion that the fish is exhibiting. The word is drawn and colored so as to emphasize the emotion being shown.
Here are the twenty emotion words for the 20 two-page spreads:
curious
nervous
brave
shy
surprised
sad
furious
proud
jealous
loving
angry
glad
confused
content
afraid
sure
shocked
astonished
bored
delighted.
The thought that the talented Mies van Hout has put into the depictions of these emotions gives HAPPY a great entertainment value. It is a total crack-up. (After reading through the book three times and taking a bunch of notes, I turned the children’s librarian -- who hadn’t yet read it -- onto it.)
Beyond all of this entertainment value, you can be SURE that there are going to be teachers who can draw months of nifty writing and improvisation activities out of a book like this.
And so I am DELIGHTED to find HAPPY, and I bet that you will feel the same way, too.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_... http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/people/facult...
“How does it feel?
How does it feel?
-- Bob Dylan, “Like a Rolling Stone”
It was such a beautiful morning, and I was SURE that I would be BORED sitting in the auto repair shop waiting room for a couple of hours while the car was being serviced. So I headed off on a hike around the area (which is a new area for me).
When, a couple of miles down the road, I stumbled upon the Midland Park Memorial Library, I walked in. I am always CURIOUS to see public library children’s rooms, so I aimed my high tops down the stairs to the lower level. And I am so GLAD that I did. For, on display, I found an absolutely great new picture book about emotions.
On the cover of HAPPY is a happy fish against a black background…a really happy fish from the looks of him (or her). And the letters of the title are drawn and colored so as to also exude a sense of happiness.
Inside the book are 20 two-page spreads. On one side of each spread is a fish, against a black background, that is clearly depicting an emotion. On the other side is the word for the emotion that the fish is exhibiting. The word is drawn and colored so as to emphasize the emotion being shown.
Here are the twenty emotion words for the 20 two-page spreads:
curious
nervous
brave
shy
surprised
sad
furious
proud
jealous
loving
angry
glad
confused
content
afraid
sure
shocked
astonished
bored
delighted.
The thought that the talented Mies van Hout has put into the depictions of these emotions gives HAPPY a great entertainment value. It is a total crack-up. (After reading through the book three times and taking a bunch of notes, I turned the children’s librarian -- who hadn’t yet read it -- onto it.)
Beyond all of this entertainment value, you can be SURE that there are going to be teachers who can draw months of nifty writing and improvisation activities out of a book like this.
And so I am DELIGHTED to find HAPPY, and I bet that you will feel the same way, too.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_... http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/people/facult...
February 14, 2013
Happy lists twenty different emotions; such as curious, brave, and surprised, and each is depicted by an expressive fish. The stunning illustrations are what really stand out in this book; the bright, vibrant, hand-sketched pastel drawings really bring the emotions depicted alive for the reader. The fish are set against a black background, making their colors even more pronounced and powerful; while the hand-lettered emotions set against various colored backgrounds help depict the emotions as well. “Nervous” is written in shaky and squiggly lines with the same squiggly more subtle blue background, while “furious” is set against a red scratchy background with the word “furious” scratched frantically. This book is a good, short, read-aloud that would be useful in talking to children about feelings. Its simplicity in text makes it ideal for children to page through and understand the basic feelings being portrayed on their own. Happy offers a unique and striking portrayal of feelings through vivid and simple artwork that most little ones will enjoy.
July 27, 2012
This is an amusing book about various emotions. For each page there is only one word written. It might be "sad" or "jealous" or "confused." Then there is an illustration of a fish that totally fits the emotion. This is a brilliant way to show young readers just what different emotions are. Plus it is a fun, bright book with great illustrations of fish that are just right.
The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was that I missed the "Happy" emotion. It was on the cover but I really thought it would be good to have that particular word within the context of the book as well. Especially since the title page didn't even have the happy fish illustration. But, I still would use this in storytime. Either as a read aloud or as a book on display.
The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was that I missed the "Happy" emotion. It was on the cover but I really thought it would be good to have that particular word within the context of the book as well. Especially since the title page didn't even have the happy fish illustration. But, I still would use this in storytime. Either as a read aloud or as a book on display.
March 12, 2013
Someone at work pointed this one out to me (thanks, Yoddy!) and I ended up reading it five times in a row. It's deceptively simple--each page has the word for an emotion on one side, and, on the other, a pastel drawing of a fish illustrating it. The drawings are really beautiful and convey the emotions wonderfully, and even the combination of words and backgrounds illustrate the emotions as well with color and font. It's just a really gorgeous book, and I can see it being a really great one for acting out emotions with young children or just for reading quietly before bed time. I'm definitely looking forward to her next one!
October 28, 2013
The classroom possibilities of this book are myriad...elementary and secondary...ELA, psychology, art, music...
I love books like this...one word. One picture...that's the double-page spread. "Happy" fish is vibrant, colorful. Mouth curved in a huge smile and eyes focused straight ahead. What's the antonym of 'happy'? What would that look like? What color would it be? What music would represent both? If you were going to write a personification story of this word and this fish, what would happen? What would the fish do and say? Find an article in the newspaper that reflects the emotion on the page and explain...
AND, as art, the book is beautiful.
What fun!
I love books like this...one word. One picture...that's the double-page spread. "Happy" fish is vibrant, colorful. Mouth curved in a huge smile and eyes focused straight ahead. What's the antonym of 'happy'? What would that look like? What color would it be? What music would represent both? If you were going to write a personification story of this word and this fish, what would happen? What would the fish do and say? Find an article in the newspaper that reflects the emotion on the page and explain...
AND, as art, the book is beautiful.
What fun!
October 5, 2016
Happy is such a cute picture book! As you flip through the pages, you see different types of fish displaying different emotions. These emotions include being shy, sad, happy, glad, confused, and content. These words are used in everyday life and can help children understand their feelings better. I like how the illustrations are brightly colored and like a child may have drawn them. I believe children will like this book and will relate well. This book can be used in the classroom to discuss different emotions people go through in life.
May 23, 2012
Love the illustrations. Colorful and fun. Reminds me of an art exercise I used to do with kids. They would use lines to express different emotions. Mies Van Hout's fish are comprised of very emotional lines that exactly represent the desciptive word. My only thought is wouldn't it be more fun to try and make a story with all of these fish and feelings? Definitely more of a challenge. Still all ages should enjoy but, especially the under three crowd.
June 13, 2012
There is no story in this book, but it is a great way to show emotion and learn how different emotions look on fish :). Fish show what happy, confused, shy, surprised,sad, proud, angry, content, and many more emotions all look like on fish faces. All of the illustrations are in bright colors on solid black blackgrounds.
With only one word on a page and a fantastic illustration showing the meaning, a great book to introduce adjective/emotion vocabulary to beginning level ELLs.
With only one word on a page and a fantastic illustration showing the meaning, a great book to introduce adjective/emotion vocabulary to beginning level ELLs.
April 11, 2013
Beautiful! Each emotion word is paired with a fish expressing that emotion. It would be wonderful for counselors and doctors. It could be a tool for teaching children what these complicated words mean. The drawings are wonderful and special attention should be paid to how the words are written. This author is saying much with that one word. This should be recommended for those dealing with a death or suffering from bullying, the fish will let them know that they are not alone!
August 7, 2013
I love how the oil pastels contrast with the black background and makes everything stand out more. I'm an adult and I don't get bored of flipping through the pages of the book. It's oddly satisfying how much I enjoy this book, and I urge everyone to get a copy of this. It'll definitely be of help to parents who're teaching emotions to their kids for the first time and exploring emotions together.
August 7, 2013
It's funny that you'd think there'd be a book that talks about emotions in a very elementary level, like the ABC or 123 books for very young children. This book was the ABCs of emotion. Very young kids, 2-4 year olds enjoy it the most. They like to make expressions with the book. Definitely a staple for young parents!
February 10, 2016
These illustrations are unique and gorgeous to look at it. It's fun to engage my preschooler in a discussion about how the font is different for each feeling-word. Also, the book nicely reinforces familiar feeling-words (happy, angry) and introduces newer ones (content, astonished) to the younger child.
September 26, 2016
reminded me of Andy Warhols "So many stars"
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